A BITTERSWEET LIFE (2005)
Limited Edition 4K UHD + Blu-ray Box Set
Label: Second Sight Films
Region Code: Region-Free (UHD), B (BD)
Rating: Cert. 18
Duration: 119 Minutes 41 Seconds
Audio: Korean DTS_HD MA 5.1 Surround with Optional English Subtitles
Video: Dolby Vision HDR10 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (2.39:1), 1080p HD Widescreen (2.39:1)
Director: Kim Jee-woon
Cast: Lee Byung-hun, Kim Yeong-cheol, Shin Min-ah, Kim Roi-ha
In the Korean crime-thriller A Bittersweet Life (2005), directed by Kim Jee-woon’s (The Good, The Bad, The Weird), a loyal gang enforcer named Sun-woo (Lee Byung-hun, I Saw The Devil) has been assigned to keep an eye on Hee-soo (Shin Min-ah, Madeleine), the young mistress of his boss Kang (Kim Yeong-cheol, Iris: The Movie). He is ordered to kill her and her lover if his suspicions prove true, and when they are indeed accurate, Sun-woo finds himself unwilling to carry out an order. When Kang discovers the subterfuge things take an ultra-violent turn with Sun-woo no longer in his boss's favor he finds himself thrown to the wolves by way of Hang's envious son Mun Suk (Kim Roi-ha, The Host) a rival gang member named Baek Dae-sik, who gravely torture and injure Sun-woo. Determined he manages to escape and embarks on a bloody revenge kill-spree with both Dae-sik and Kang on the kill list.
What follows is a kinetic rampage with Soon-woo hellbent on dispatching those who turned on him and anyone who attempts to stop him. It's a gorgeous film that is well-balanced, we get moments of silence and introspection, visceral moments of bloody violence, and an interesting arc for our enforcer heart, as we see him turn from cold-blooded killer to something more, followed by copious amounts of heroic bloodshed.
The fight sequences and violence are well-choreographed, there's a dark sense of humor at lay that brought to mind Tarantino, especially when a pair of quarrelling arms dealers, and the nightclub-battle finale is absolutely breathtaking. Lee Byung-hun is magnificent in the role, he's largely emotionless but he still manages to pull you in, and the way the story builds to such an exciting crescendo makes it fly by, making this bloody actioner easy to recommend for high-octane crime film fans.
Audio/Video: A Bittersweet Life (2005) arrives on Blu-ray and 4K UHD from Second Sight Films framed in 2.39:1 widescreen in 1080p and 2160p Ultra HD respectively, the UHD offering Dolby Vision (HDR10) color-grading. The film is highly stylized and looks terrific in 4K in spots with the Dolby Vision color-grading. I did think that it was slightly muted in terms of detail and texture for a 4K UHD though, the overall image showcases fine film grain but can look not quite filmic in spots, but never having never seen the film previously on any format I cannot say how it compares to other editions. Overall I was pleased with it, but it was not exactly 4K magic for me. We also get a nuanced and at times truly bombastic Korean DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio track that does not disappoint, there is no English-dub track for this one.
Second Sight Films offers a mix of new and archival disc extras. We get four audio commentaries (two of them brand new), plus archival extras by way of over two hours of featurettes, music videos, and trailers and TV spots.
2-disc dual-formats 4K UHD/Blu-ray Limited Edition release arrives in a sturdy Rigid Slipcase with new artwork by Michael Bolland, inside the 2-discs are housed in a gatefold digipak with clear plastic trays holding the discs. Also tucked away inside the slipbox is a with a 120-Page Squareback Book with new essays by Dr Lindsay Hallam, Rich Johnson, Michael Leader, Daniel Martin and Alison Peirse, plus Six Collectors' Art Cards. It's another exquisitely packaged release from Second Sight. The film is also available as separate standard Blu-ray and 4K UHD releases minus the packaging extras but with the same great on-disc set of bonus features.
Special Features:
- New scene specific audio commentary with director Kim Jee-woon and academic Areum Jeong (54:03)
- New audio commentary by Pierce Conran and James Marsh
- Audio commentary with director Kim Jee-woon and Actors Kim Young-chul and Lee Byung-hun
- Audio commentary with director Kim Jee-woon, director of photography Kim Ji-Y and set designer Yoo Seong-hee
- Making of A Bittersweet Life with optional commentaries (25:38)
- Archive Featurettes: Art (12:58); Music (7:59); Sound (4:38); Action (13:50); Gunsmith (8:57); Special Art (5:54); Special Effects (4:57); CG (10:17)
- Tell Me Why (21:28)
- A Bittersweet Life in Cannes (38:13)
- Deleted and Alternate Scenes with optional commentary (23:29)
- Music Videos: Sweet Sleep (3:34); Yangpa (2:48)
- Teaser (1:26)
- Deleted and Alternate Scenes with optional commentary (23:29)
- Music Videos: Sweet Sleep (3:34); Yangpa (2:48)
- Teaser (1:26)
- Trailer (2:04)
- TV Spot (0:34)
Limited Edition Contents
- Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Michael Bolland
- 120-page book with new essays by Dr Lindsay Hallam, Rich Johnson, Michael Leader, Daniel Martin and Alison Peirse
Limited Edition Contents
- Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Michael Bolland
- 120-page book with new essays by Dr Lindsay Hallam, Rich Johnson, Michael Leader, Daniel Martin and Alison Peirse
- Six Collectors' Art Cards
Screenshots from the Second Sight Films Blu-ray:
